SoKo goes NoKo

It's been awhile so my thoughts are all jumbled but I'll try to keep this in order.

Before I get into all the crazy stuff I did this weekend, I'd just like to take a moment to give some credit to Korean cuisine. It's delicious. Like, really, REALLY delicious. I am a lover of spice be it Mexican, Indian, Thai or anything else and I'm so glad that you are never in want of something spicy when dining in Korea. Even if you order something less than spicy it's usually served with a side of kimchi and that'll do the trick if you're craving it. Last week I went out with my friend Marisol (from Los Angeles!) and had some BBQ, which most people may have tried by now as you can find it in the States if you simply look. I also love how when you go out to eat in Korea your meal comes with usually no less than 4 sides which are re-filled for free if you run out of any.

Later that week I had the pleasure of eating out again with Marisol and our friend Madelein (from South Africa). Madelein had gone to a place that specialized in budae jjigae, also known as "Army Base Stew." Wikipedia explains, "soon after the Korean War, meat was scarce in Seoul, South Korea. Some people made use of surplus foods from U.S. Army bases around the Uijeongbu area, Pyeongtaek area or Munsan area, such as hot dogs, canned ham, and Spam, and incorporated them into a traditional spicy soup flavored with gochujang (red chili paste) and kimchi." Our soup had tofu, spam, vienna sausages, meatballs, glass noodles and God knows what else. Marisol and I were skeptical but it turned out to be 1,000 times tastier than it sounds- it was great! I can't wait to have it again. 

Ugh, good lord that was good. I wish I could make this stuff. When I get back to the States I'm going to  need a Korean cookbook. I'm sure while I'm here I'll learn a trick or two though. 


Now my weekend adventures. 


I was invited via facebook to try Hapkido, a Korean martial art. We tried a few kicks, had a few laughs. My axe kick wasn't half bad (thats when you bring your foot kind of around and up to face-level and then kick your leg straight down). But my spin kick (turn a 180, look at the person behind you, kick them while spinning) was HORRIBLE. Every time I tried to turn I wouldn't be able to balance myself. At one point the instructor told me to stand on one foot and when I asked why he responded, "I just wanted to check and see if you maybe had an inner ear problem." Nope, I'm just uncoordinated. We also practiced the right way to fall and I attempted to do a cartwheel. At the end he showed us how to jerk your had away and attack if someone grabs your wrist. The only problem is that when you learn it's so exciting that I actually want someone to try and grab my fist so I can elbow them in the face faster than you can say "let me go." I probably won't ever need to do that but a girl can dream. 

Elbow to the face!

Axe Kick

My lame cartwheel attempt

Next up on Saturday was Doctor Fish. This is where you go and put your feet in a fish pond/tank and the fish eat the dead skin off your feet. Sounds like a freaky sci-fy scene. It tickled so much, I couldn't stop giggling for a while. After your feet are in for a few minutes it feels kinda nice and you want to stay awhile so the fishes make your feet nice and smooth. When I was done (I had my feet in for about 45 minutes) my feet were baby soft. Also, it only costs about $2 USA. This deserved a video. However, blogger does not want to post my video here for some reason so if you'd like to see it (it's worth a gander) please follow this link: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9toftHFFeU

I had some rice wine with a friend on Saturday night and then came home early because the next day I had to get up early to head to Seoul for my trip to the DMZ!

From left to right: Prianka (Canada), Sara (Canada), Ali (Ireland) and Moi

Overall, I didn't think the trip was too interesting. It was also very exhausting and when we left Seoul the guide informed us it was the coldest day in 40 years. We saw Freedom Bridge, Unification Village, the Third Tunnel, and Dora Observatory, among other little sights along the way. The most interesting spot to me was the Third Tunnel. Some Third Tunnel background, "The 3rd tunnel was first discovered in 1978 and was dug by North Korea to infiltrate into the south. It is 2m in width, 2m in height, 1,635m in length, and 435m from MDL. Visitors descend about 300 meters at a 14∼15 degree angle before reaching the North Korean infiltration tunnel, which is 73 meters below the surface. Its almost like a 25∼30 story building.The wall of the tunnel is covered with charcoal which was applied to give some possibility to the North Korean claim that the tunnel was part of an abandoned mine." We had to put on hard hats before descending and you had to duck pretty low at some points. It was funny when every once in a while you'd here a *DONK* "Ow!" because someone wasn't ducking low enough. When you reach the end there's a wall with a little viewing hole and you're told you are 170m away from MDL.  No pics allowed in this part. 


The Dora observatory is where you go to get a glimpse of Kesung city, the second largest city of North Korea. You can also see a "Propaganda village," Kijongdong, designed to give visitors the impression the North Korea is a prosperous nation.  It was odd. Buildings with bright roofs and not a living soul in sight. There's a yellow line you can't take photos past here.

NoKo

So that was my busy weekend full of Korean culture. I'm knackered. 

Why I Travel- A Little About Me

When I was 16, I convinced my parents to send me to France, by myself, for a month.

Let’s back up.

One of my best friends at the time was going to Spain with a program to learn Spanish for a month during the summer and I remember thinking, “I could never do that. Go to another country all by myself where I don’t even speak the language?” Then a few days later that same best friend told me she didn’t want to be friends anymore. I was crushed. I was so crushed I thought, “hell, I might as well try to leave the country. “ I started searching online for programs for Americans to learn French in France. I gave my address to a few sites and I got some brochures to show my parents. I’m not sure whether I ended up picking the program or they did, but they said they would pay for me to go to Cote D’Azur and go to a French school for a month, by myself (this is one of the reasons I have the greatest parents in the world but that’s a different story altogether). It was all set up and I couldn’t believe it- I was scared out of my mind.

I went to France on my own. I lived with a French family and a Swiss roommate, I went to school, and I made lots of friends right away. I had the time of my life doing it. I think that’s when I got hooked. France was when I knew I loved being in a new place and living a whole different life than the one I was accustomed to. It was bigger and better than traveling because it was getting to know a place and finding my own place in it.

I think about my life and I can hardly believe I’ve actually lived it. When I’m talking and I say something like, “well when I lived in New Zealand…” it just amazes me. Now I’m in Korea and it’s the 3^rd foreign country I’ve lived in, 4^th if you count my month in France. As I read this it sounds like I’m 60 looking back on my travels with awe and fondness. Heck, I was only living in New Zealand two years ago. It feels like so much longer than that though. I think it’s because with each new country it’s not just a year, it’s a whole new life in that place. Different friends, different apartments, different jobs and even different standards of living are part of what make each place unique.

Now I am in Korea. I don’t know that I love Korea, but I know that I love being in Korea.

So... This is the New Year

Sorry it's been so long. I've also spoken to many people on the phone over my break so I think most people who read this know what I did while on vacation. That is to say, nothing much. Took a trip to Busan with Erik from Seattle. It was alright. This country isn't super interesting and it's definitely not super pretty but being in a different place is always a good time. I climbed the mountain by my flat while it snowed which was just lovely!

It started out sunny but when I got to the top it was full-on snowing. I slipped and fell on my bum only one time and I'm very proud.

 By the time I got home I was completely covered in snow. I love snow! I miss NH!

 Here is a picture of my street that a lot of you insisted on seeing. I live above the Marlboro Bar. Pretty sweet, right?

 I got the care package from my family! Thank you all soooo much! I absolutely adore the travel candles (man, I really wanted those) and everything else. My Mom sent me two big activity/coloring books and when I looked at them I was first struck by the thought they were for me and then I read the note which said I could maybe use it for my kids. I was skeptical. But man, when I brought in coloring pages for my Kindergartners with My Little Ponies on them they went NUTS. Even Chris (the boy in the picture) said, "it's so cute!" Now they want to color them all the time and they even take them home! Usually they just throw coloring pages away. Also one of the other teachers has been photo-copying pages from it for the last two days and said, "tell your Mom she's a life-saver!" They were a huge unexpected hit. Here's a pic of one of my classes going to town on coloring the Ponies.